Flood Damage on Building Exteriors

1/6/2017 (Permalink)

When floods hit a building, they hit hard. For larger, weather-induced floods, most types of homes take extensive exterior damage even if the interior remains sealed off. Whether the flood is relatively light and only hits the building foundation or if it's heavy, causing obvious physical damage and perhaps penetrating into the building, a building exterior will usually need careful attention in the flood's aftermath. Drying times are longer, and we need to be especially thorough to ensure that pockets of moisture don't develop into larger long-term problems.
 
Difficulties with Drying
 
There are a few factors that make building exteriors difficult to dry, and in many cases, these are specific to a certain building material. Most issues have to do with air pockets and insulation, which work against you after flood damage in Nashville. These issues are common in brick buildings, which have far more of these recesses than buildings covered in paneling or vinyl. Insulation poses a problem with buildings of most sizes and materials. Also, it is much more difficult to set up controlled air flows and to contain the area being dried, extending time spent there.
 
Moisture Monitoring
 
Another difficult process that SERVPRO must complete is monitoring moisture levels in the material. Materials are not truly dry unless they have reached their natural moisture content, meaning that although they may outwardly appear to be fully dried, enough moisture may remain to cause significant future damage. This can include cracking as water freezes, long-term material degradation, or even oxidation in metallic materials.
 
Drilling Holes
 
In many cases, we may be required to drill holes in the building exterior to provide air movement and circulation. This is to allow SERVPRO to dry out the wall's interior and get a better control over the material as a whole. While these may be expensive to repair, it is far cheaper than a complete replacement of the wall material, which is often the only other option.
 
SERVPRO of South Nashville has the resources and personnel to handle even the toughest of flood damage restorations. Call us at (615) 331-0200 when damage first strikes.